


Leading with Strings

by Neemie101



Category: OFF (Game), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Cyclops is the player, Gen, I don't know what's going on in comics past the Claremont run, I'm using the second English translation, It's the one that I am most familiar with, Player insert, The third translation is pretty neat though!, Thought that Cyclops and Judge could bond, and at this point I'm too afraid to ask, and that I planned the story around, he's also very confused, if you haven't played off it's free and takes 6 hours ;), no one is answering his questions, over the shared experience of losing a loved one, probably takes place after the Brood Saga but before Australia, to a millennial fire bird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:58:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16092326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neemie101/pseuds/Neemie101
Summary: Due to Kitty phasing through the computers (again) Cyclops gets stuck guiding the Batter through the game of OFF. Searching for his teammates and a way to get back home, he does his best to complete the new mission set before him. Hopefully going along with all this nonsense will get him somewhere, and Batter's actions won't come back to bite him in the rear.





	Leading with Strings

**Author's Note:**

> This Chapter will probably be the longest one. I considered breaking it up, but then it felt like Batter and Cyclops weren't getting anything done. Chapters will be shorter after this point since the other zones have good stopping points. If you're new to the X-Men, you can probably get by knowing the gist of the Dark Pheonix Saga. Or just treat him like an OC. If you're new to OFF, I really encourage you to play the game for yourself before reading this fic.

Cyclops still wasn't sure how he had gotten into this situation, seated at the computers in the left wing study hall next to Logan. He knew Kitty had been persistent, and in all honesty, he had probably agreed to play just to get her off his case. Glancing over at Wolverine, Scott guessed he was in a similar boat. After the two men started booting up the game Kitty’s head emerged in the center of the computer arrays, right through the computer power outlets and cords. Cyclops could barely scream “Kitty, no!” before the power surge hit the computers. Sparks were flying everywhere, and he was sure he could hear the fire alarms in the study room start to ring.

Then there was nothing, absolute nothingness. He was gently floating, arms still up to shield his face from the sudden electrical burst. He could hear his own heartbeat, and quickly realized that the area was completely devoid of any other sound to mask the noise. He slowly lowered his arms and let out a deafening breath, looking around to try an get his bearings. There was nothing for him to see though, just thick darkness that felt like it would swallow him at any second. He didn’t know where he was, but was grateful that he could somehow breathe.

He needed to figure out where he was and try to find a way to reach his teammates. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d been abducted by the vast array of opponents his team faced. He tried to contact professor Xavier through the telepathic link he kept open for emergencies like this, but received no response. Wolverine and Kitty were in the room with him though, so there’s a chance they were in this void as well. He needed to try and find them, see if they could come up with something as a team.

He didn’t think it would work, but he slowly lowered his legs to stand from the seated position he had been floating in. He was pleasantly surprised something that felt solid allowed him to stand and move forward. He had no idea which direction he should go, but knew that just standing there would get him nowhere. He began to walk forward, ‘Maybe I could find a wall, and work my way from there.’ He thought as he took his first tentative steps forward.

He had been walking for about a minute when he began to hear faint whispering around him. He couldn’t make out what the voices were saying, but they sent chills down his spine. They began to increase in volume, and Cyclops broke into a run. Another minute and the voices went silent again, replaced with a single clear one. “State your name.” it said, then fell silent.

“My name is Cyclops. Who are you?” he asked, hesitant to give his civilian name to a mysterious voice in the void. “Your name is Cyclops, correct?” the voice asked, completely ignoring his question. “Yes, now who are you?” he asked insistently. “Are you a boy, girl, or gender neutral?” Cyclops was a bit startled at the question. He’d encountered many strange extraterrestrials in his life with the X-Men, but most of them had automatically identified him as male. Did the voice not have a body? It could clearly hear him, but gave no response to questions, only answers. “I’m a boy.” He stated, figuring that it would be best to play along for now. “Alright. Welcome Cyclops.” Cyclops wasn’t sure what exactly he was being welcomed too, as the void remained empty and, for now, silent save for the voice.

“You have been assigned to a being called ‘The Batter’.” The voice sounded like it had moved to his left, so he turned himself to follow it. He was startled by a humanoid figure standing a few feet away. The Batter, Cyclops assumed, was standing rigidly upright. He had a bat in one hand and was dressed in plain white and black baseball attire. Despite the figure’s shockingly pale skin, he seemed normal.

Except for the complete lack of face, which Cyclops found particularly unnerving.

“The Batter has an important mission. Be sure that it’s accomplished.” the voice continued. A mission? Had he been brought here because of his status as team leader? What was this “important mission” that he was supposed to accomplish? He was about to try his luck with questioning Batter, when the voice continued. “We will let you out in Zone 0. Good luck.” It was then that Cyclops felt a pull from the figure before him. Not quite a telepathic link, it felt more physical than that, but a mental component was definitely there. “For more information, find the one called ‘the Judge’.” The void around them seemed to shift, and he backed up a few steps.

He blinked, and was suddenly somewhere else. The sound of moving water filled his ears, and he squinted against the sudden assault of garish yellow. Even with his red tinted glasses filtering some of the light and color, it still took a while for his eyes to adjust. Once they did, he noticed the sea of thick liquid and oddly floating blocks along the sides of the platform they were on. Batter seemed to have relaxed slightly, his head turned towards Cyclops. Scott wondered if Batter would answer his questions, if the faceless being could even speak at all. He started with something simple, “What color is this place?” Cyclops guessed that it was some type of yellow, but couldn’t believe that someone would actually paint everything, from the ground to the roof, a bright yellow color. Surely the red tint his glasses gave his vision was deceiving him. “Yellow.” was the Batter’s reply. “All of it?” Cyclops asked in disbelief, “Yes.” Batter confirmed.

He decided not to dwell on the fact that Batter was speaking without anything to speak with, grateful that someone was willing to answer his questions. “What is this place? That voice called it zone zero, does that mean there are more?” Cyclops questioned. “The Judge has more information, we should find him.” So much for answering his questions, but Cyclops wasn’t going to press the issue. If he was going to be working with Batter, it would be best not to pester him yet. He began to walk forward along the path, Batter following a step behind.

They only walked a few paces when they were approached by an odd cat. Cyclops was pretty sure that cats weren’t supposed to grin at all, let alone split their face with one. He started when the cat spoke, “There cannot be any other living beings in zone 0, so I must assume that you are only a mere figment of my imagination.” The cat’s mouth moved around the smile in a way that managed to make the experience even more surreal. “Nevertheless,” the cat continued, “I will introduce myself. I am the Judge, and I am aching to know your name, dear elusory interlocutor.” The cat’s word choice reminded him a lot of his teammate, Hank, who also had a tendency to flower his language. As Cyclops was processing the fact that the purring cat was not only talking but using the same extensive vocabulary as his well-read friend, Batter responded. “I’m the Batter. I’ve been assigned to a sacred mission.” Sacred? What exactly was this mission? Cyclops realized that had never been clarified. Before Cyclops could ask, the cat quickly continued on. “It is a pleasure.” He said, giving Batter a brief nod, “However, it is not the puppet I was addressing, but the puppeteer controlling it. What is your name, dear Puppeteer?”

The cat was looking expectantly at him, so he responded. “My name is Cyclops.” The Judge gave him a curt nod, “Even though you too are but an inexistent apparition in my eyes, let it be said that I am delighted to meet you as well, dear Cyclops.” He returned the nod, and Batter spoke up, “I believe we’re in need of your services.” Scott didn’t think it was possible, but the cat’s smile grew even wider as he spoke. “Many people are in need of my services, you know. Everybody loves cats.” The cat closed the remaining distance between them, “We rub ourselves against their legs in the most insistent manner.” He said, attempting to do just that to Cyclops, “They adore that.” Both the Judge and Cyclops were surprised when the cat walked right through his legs. The Judge seemed to shrug it off and began rubbing against Batter’s, apparently more solid, legs. It was hard to tell due to the lack of face, but Batter seemed moderately annoyed at the contact. “I’m not talking about that kind of help.” he said, taking a step away from the affectionate cat.

“I see…” the Judge tilted his head slightly, “but what sort of service could I offer to an ectoplasmic entity?” Batter straightened slightly, “I have a sacred mission to fulfill. I must purify the world.” Cyclops blinked, “purify the world?” what the blazes was that supposed to mean? Can an entire world even be purified? What had contaminated it?

Cyclops was brought out of his thoughts when the Judge spoke, “There is no objective more laudable than yours.” the smirk the Judge had adopted suggested otherwise. “I accept to serve you as a guide through this area, if it is of any help to you.” the cat said, performing a mock bow towards the Batter. The man responded with a short “Thanks.” and the cat ran off.

It took Cyclops a minute to realize where the cat had gone. He had no idea how the Judge was able to climb to the roof so fast, but the cat was now resting, looking down at them leisurely. Cyclops guessed that they had a minute before they had to climb up the nearby ladder to join him. “So our mission is to…” Cyclops began, “Purify the world.” the Batter finished. “Right, but how are we going to do that, exactly?” Cyclops questioned. “This world has been corrupted, causing much suffering, we need to fight the corruption and eliminate its source.” Batter placed the side of his bat into his left palm, emphasizing his point with a small smacking sound. “Okay…” Cyclops said, deciding to drop the matter for now. He hoped he’d figure it out once they actually started.

Looking around he spotted an almost comically cartoonish chest. He had the odd impulse to open it and decided to follow his instincts. He knelt down in front of it and attempted to undo the latch in the front. He let out a small gasp of surprise when his hands went right through it. He stood up, scratching his head at the box. When Batter approached from behind him, he moved aside. Batter knelt down and opened the chest with ease, leaving a very confused Cyclops. Batter pulled out what looked like a carnival ticket, although something told him it was actually a “Luck ticket”, and put it in his back pocket.

“How did you…” Cyclops began, “I am your way of physically interacting with the world.” Batter spoke, “You direct me, and I carry out the action. We cannot progress without each other.” So he really was “assigned” to the Batter, the Judge’s earlier distinction between “puppet” and “puppeteer” made much more sense once Cyclops considered the implications of what Batter had just explained. He truly was brought here to lead, just not in a manner that he was used to. “Got it. Let’s go explore the room behind us before we join the Judge.” Cyclops said, walking towards the extension of the building with Batter following just behind him.

The room was empty, save for numbers painted on the far wall. “Quite peculiar.” Batter stated as Cyclops examined them up close. He had no idea what they were for but got the impression that they were important. He was grateful to find that he still had a pocket-sized notebook and pen on him. Kitty had told him to bring one for whatever videogame it was she wanted them to play. He wrote down the numbers in the notebook, then tucked it back into his pocket. “Okay, let’s go see what the Judge has to say.” he said, walking back out the door.

They climbed up the ladder, Batter once again choosing to follow behind Cyclops, and approached the now stretching cat. The Judge tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at the Batter, as if considering something. “Allow me to confess that I find you quite tangible for a phantasmagorical being.” he stated curiously, “Might you in fact be a creature of flesh and blood?”

“I think so, yes.” Batter responded, causing Cyclops to give him an odd look, “You _think_ so?” he asked. “Yes.” Batter confirmed. He seemed perfectly content to leave the matter there, and the Judge continued before Cyclops could get another word in. “So I have been mistaking from the beginning.” he said, frowning as much as his face would allow, “You did not even interrupt me in my deluded phantasms…” Judge sat down, tail swaying back and forth behind him as he thought. “This is relatively bizarre, I must say, for you are the first living beings I was given a chance to encounter in this lieu.” He turned to look out at the vast sea of… something… “I had in fact concluded that Zone 0 was an empty land. Obviously I was misled.” he finished, turning his head back to Batter.

Had this cat been living all alone here? For how long? No wonder he’d assumed they were imaginary at first. Cyclops debated the idea of asking the Judge to join them, and figured he’d let the cat ask himself. “Are you the only one in this world?” Cyclops asked. The Judge shook his head at him, “There exist other zones.” The cat’s eyes widened with realization “And in those territories, the risk of hostile individuals attacking you in the most violent manner is quite high.” The Judge stood, turning once again to Batter, “Your sacred mission will likely lead you into these lands. Would you like me to teach you the art of violent confrontation?” the cat bared his fangs slightly with the last question.

As field leader of the X-Men, Cyclops had been in plenty of “violent confrontations.” From disgruntled protesters to cosmic space entities, he’d been around the block quite a few times. He was very confident in his combat abilities, and was about to decline the Judge’s offer when he realized something. All of those missions had been done with a team he had practiced and trained with for years. He knew, through hard earned experience, exactly what his teammates were capable of. He was also able to fight alongside his team, but it sounded like Batter would have to be the one doing all the fighting. He had absolutely no idea what Batter was capable of, or even how to best give him commands in combat.

The Judge was offering a ‘training session’ with Batter. Sure, it wasn’t the Danger Room he normally practiced with his team in, but he desperately needed the training to be able to work with Batter in combat. Not knowing what he was doing in the moment would likely get them both killed. “Yes, please.” Cyclops said to the cat, who gave him a devilish grin in return. A sharp ringing sounded through the air, and the world around them seemed to shift. “This here is the battle scene. As you can observe, you will find the Batter placed at your right hand side.” Sure enough, Cyclops could see both the Judge and Batter facing each other in front of him. Their location had changed, they were now on a flat, yellow plain that gave much more room for fighting than the narrow roof they were in before. The Judge sat tensely, while Batter was set in a swinging stance. “Your opponent however, in this case yours truly, will be located on the left, the correct place for a single combat.”

Wait, the ‘correct’ place for combat? Was the world going to rearrange itself like this every time they encountered an enemy? That’s definitely something he would have to get used to, and he wondered what kind of universal law would result in something like that. The Judge continued, “At the beginning of combat, you will be confronted with a choice. You have to decide whether to ‘Attack’, ‘Auto’ or ‘Flee’.” Cyclops understood the decision to attack or flee well enough, as he’d often had to make it when his team faced particularly tough opponents. “Auto” intrigued him though, how exactly could a battle be automated? “Attack’, the Judge further explained, “naturally permits you to engage the fight in the classical fashion. If ‘Auto’ is your decision, the Batter will make the strategic choices in your place, making you simply the spectator.” So Batter could make some decisions for himself, that was good to know if they ended up in a pinch. He wondered how skilled Batter was in making battle decisions, and was tempted to give the function a try here to see what he was capable of. He didn’t see himself using auto very often though, if all he could do in this world was lead, he was definitely going to do it himself.

“Finally, ‘Flee’, Judges face screwed up in disgust, “as its name indicates, is the option of the coward. I dehort this alternative.” The Judge slowly stood, “But now it is time for the offense. Call to the Batter, then order ‘Attack’ to off me with his bat.” Just as Cyclops considered seeing what Batter was capable of alone, the Judge spoke. “Do not utilize the “Auto” command.” The Judge warned, “The Batter will not hold back and I would take the risk of dying, taking my secrets with me to the grave.” Did Batter not understand that this was only a spar? Cyclops took a closer look at Batter, who was still in his stance. It was a bit harder to get an idea of what Batter was thinking due to his lack of expression, but the way Batter bounced slightly on the balls of his feet told him that he was ready to go. The slight tenseness in his movements confirmed the Judge’s assessment that Batter would give everything he had. Did he even hear anything that was said? If Batter had, he gave no indication, apparently waiting for directions.

“Batter,” he said in a commanding tone, “Attack.” The word barely left his lips before Batter rushed towards the Judge, swinging his bat in a wide arc as he did so. Cyclops winced when Batter made contact with the Judge’s body, Batter certainly wasn’t a man of restraint. The Judge seemed to shrug it off though, giving a wide grin. “Excellent, dear sportive companion. You must consider the fact that the Batter’s and the enemy’s levels determine the impact of your assaults.” Hold up, “levels”? What exactly did these levels represent? If it was some kind of promotional system, could it be linked to ratings? If it was, this could be one of Mojo's television programs. If he was involved, this was a whole different ball game. This level of weirdness was up his alley, but Mojo was a flamboyant man, more a game show host than a plot writer, there was no way he wouldn’t have already announced himself. Cyclops reaffirmed his earlier decision to play along, at least until he had more information.

“It is possible that you or your adversaries could avoid the barrage of attacks that you will throw at each other with slyness.” So… dodging? He had assumed that Batter would be able to dodge, then again, maybe he shouldn’t have. “On occasion, your cast iron will get you a critical hit, which will cause teeth to fly in heaps. But let us move on, if you are willing to. You may have noticed that when you ordered the initial attack, Batter became more receptive to your commands.” Cyclops glanced once again at Batter, feeling a little awkward talking about him like he couldn't hear what they were saying. Then again, maybe he couldn’t. Batter still didn’t seem like he was fully aware of what was going on outside of the next command.

“You now have four new commands you can give. Attack leads to a sole strike against a likewise sole adversary. Competence permits you to use one of Batter’s special skills.” Cyclops perked up at that, he was sure the Batter wasn’t human, but had figured that his bat was the only thing Batter could offer in battle. Obviously, he was mistaken, he waited for the Judge to explain that concept further. “Objects will grant you access to the items you are currently carrying.” Like the luck ticket they had picked up earlier. Maybe if he poked around a bit he could find more items that would give them an edge in fights. “Finally, you have, yet again, the opportunity to flee. But remember: solely the Batter is responsible for that option in his personal menu.” Does that mean Batter makes the final decision to flee? Given how eager he seemed, Cyclops could see that going south very quickly. He’d have to talk with Batter about that after they finished here.

“How about trying to utilize an object? Take this luck ticket and use it on the Batter’s person with gratitude.” Cyclops decided it was better not to question where exactly the cat had pulled the ticket out of. The cat made a surprisingly accurate throw with his head, the ticket landing about a foot in front of Batter, who picked it up and put it with the other ticket in his back pocket. There was a span of silence, until Cyclops realized that he would have to command Batter to use the object. All of this really was going right over the Batter’s head, wasn’t it? “Batter,” he commanded once again, “Use a luck ticket on yourself.” Batter immediately complied, ripping the ticket above himself as some type of energy(?) briefly encased him.

“Impeccable.” The Judge resumed, “Your mastery of battle borders on brilliancy, my friend. But there is one thing we have not yet addressed.” The cat gently lulled his head to the side as he spoke, “I am of course talking about competences. They are generally, in layman’s terms, special moves. They can trigger surprising effects.” Did Batter not have a set power then? Or did he just lack control over which abilities he used? More things to add to the building list of questions Cyclops needed to ask Batter. “They may induce a resurgence of health points, or may be in and of themselves, powerful attacks.” Cyclops perked up a bit more at that, but the Judge took on a warning tone, “Nevertheless know this: any use of competences leads to a consumption of competence points. So I ask that you use these skills sparingly. Once your CP are completely consumed, it will be impossible to carry out heavy assaults. And if you happen to cross swords with a tougher opponent before being able to get some more CP, victory will remain uncertain.”

Cyclops took the warning to heart, it made sense. Everybody had limits, nobody on his team could use their powers indefinitely. Pushing those limits also required time to recoup after, so a power cap on Batter made sense. “But try it right away.” The Judge resumed his lesson, “Order a Competence and try using ‘The Wide Angle’, which will allow you to analyze your enemy.” Cyclops once again called to Batter, as he thought about telling him to use a competence, he felt that odd connection from before strengthen briefly. He suddenly felt like he had a general feel for the abilities Batter currently had which, for now, was only wide angle. He felt potential though, like Batter would gain more abilities as he gained more combat experience. After taking a moment to adjust, he ordered the Batter to use the wide angle ability.

Batter relaxed his stance and tilted his head at the Judge, then spoke. “The Judge. An odd appearing, cryptic cat. HP is 300 and CP is 30, No weakness or resistance.” He stated flatly. “Eh eh eh. You now know not only all about me, but also about the art of combat.” The Judge stretched once more, seeming pleased with himself, before his ears perked with a thought, “About the Wide Angle… Know that its analysis will always be based on the start of the of the battle. Thus, it may accidentally analyze adversaries you have already knocked out for a long time.” That was good to know, and definitely a handy ability to have. Knowing the enemy is the half the battle, and wide angle seems like it would keep him well informed. “The confrontation ends, theoretically, when the health of your team, or all of your opponents, fall to zero.” The Judge finished. Cyclops tilted his head at the word theoretically, but he’s seen enough presumed dead villains return not to question it. “Take good care of your health if you want a successful career in purification.” The cat said as the world shifted back to the roof they had been on before.

“From now on you will be ready to crush all impure obstacles that get in your luminous mission’s way.” The Judge said somewhat condescendingly, “Well, supposing your intelligence is on the same level with your undeniable capability of dealing bat blows to an innocent cat.” the Judge flicked his tail with a smirk. Cyclops winced slightly, still feeling bad about how hard Batter had hit the friendly cat. Predictably, Batter gave no response to the Judge’s words or tone. Just as Cyclops open his mouth to offer a formal apology, the Judge shook his head and continued, “Be it as it may, your training has not reached its end yet. Let me ask you to follow me, if you still want me as your guide.” The cat then speedily climbed further up the building. Cyclops turned to Batter, “You didn’t need to hit him _that_ hard, you know.” He said in a disapproving tone. Batter gave a slight shrug, offering no words for his defense, and began to climb up the latter. Cyclops followed after him, still concerned about Batter’s lack of restraint, hopefully they won’t have anymore “friendly” fights.

After reaching the top of the building and descending a flight of stairs, the paired entered a room just as yellow as the outside. The Judge stood between them and the next, blocked off, set of stairs. Cyclops took particular interest in the floating boxes near the corners of the room, and the black numbers painted on the walls. He gave the Judge a questioning look, prompting the cat to speak, “Ah, yes. To pass through here, you need to use your cerebral organ. You know, the one bathing flabbily in your tired cranium.” Cyclops rolled his eyes at the sarcastic reply; the cat clearly wasn’t going to be any help… “I believe those floating blocks correspond to the symbols you can see on the wall in some way or another.” Or maybe he was willing to help, after dropping Cyclops’ ego a few pegs.

Cyclops took a step back from the numbered wall to better see the room. If the top number on the left of the wall was a one, perhaps the block in the far-left corner is the starting point. “Batter, hit the block in the far left.” he instructed. Batter walked over to the block and gave it a tap with his bat. Cyclops was surprised to see the block turn transparent and start bobbing up and down. Hopefully, that meant they were on the right track.

Using the same logic he used to figure out the first block, Cyclops instructed Batter to activate the other blocks. As Batter tapped the last block, the barricade around the staircase cleared away. Cyclops enjoyed the satisfaction he felt from not only solving the puzzle, but being able to direct the Batter as well. It was kind of nice, having someone who didn’t seem to question your orders or give you an attitude as they carried out the instructions.

Despite the positive end result, he still had to wonder why the staircase was blocked off with a puzzle. It must make living here pretty inconvenient, if Cyclops had to walk around the room hitting blocks every time he wanted to leave the mansion’s basement, he’d get pretty frustrated. He walked down to join the Judge, who had left as soon as the way was clear, hoping to ask his question.

As he and Batter entered the room, Cyclops’ eyebrows raised as he realized that the next stairway was blocked by yet another puzzle. Deciding not to speak to the Judge, he had little patience for the kind of attitude the cat seemed prone to adopt, he once again instructed the Batter to hit the blocks in their corresponding order. Once the new barricade was cleared, the Judge once again exited the room. Cyclops wasted no time in following after him, trusting the Batter to remain close behind.

When Cyclops made it to the ground floor, he saw the Judge make a beeline for the bowl across the room. “Ahaha, finally!” the Judge exclaimed happily, “After all that exertion, the eagerly awaited recompense makes its entrance to the scene!” The cat quickly stuck his face in the bowl and, judging by the crunching sounds coming from the bowl, began eating some cat food that was stored there. Cyclops tried to get the cat’s attention, but he was too engrossed in his meal. The cat didn’t even look up at him as he hurriedly ate the bowl’s contents.

Cyclops’ shoulder’s sagged slightly as he realized there was yet another block puzzle and barricade blocking the door. He noticed that the door back to where they came from was unblocked, and that this room had a distinct lack of black numbers on the walls. Perhaps backtracking was the way to go with this one, he’d rather not be sending Batter on a wild goose chase as he tried to solve the puzzle by process of elimination. Cyclops turned and walked through the unblocked door Batter, once again, following close behind.

They were back in the area where they had first met the Judge, and Cyclops had Batter open the nearby chest. He felt a wave of repulsion as Batter pulled out a lump of raw, grey, meat? He felt the connection in his head tingle a bit, and for some reason believed the item in question was called “silver flesh”. He shuddered a bit as Batter placed it in his other back pocket, separate from the luck tickets. Batter gave no complaint though, so Cyclops went back into the first room they had explored.

Seeing that the numbers lacked a block puzzle in the same room, it wasn’t hard for Cyclops to figure out the solution to the block puzzle currently stopping their progress. Already having the numbers written down, Cyclops quickly turned to go back into the room with the blocks. Directing the Batter once again, they quickly cleared the last blockade and made their way towards the now unblocked door. Cyclops spared a glance back at the Judge, surprised he hadn’t gone ahead like he usually did. Seeing that the cat was still fully engrossed in his food, he continued on with the Batter.

The door led to an island much like the one he and Batter had found themselves on when they first entered zone 0. Just as Cyclops moved to inspect the red floating block in the center, the Judge appeared in the doorway. “Here is an accessory that is going to be especially helpful on your purifying quest, dear enlightened student and sportive friend.” the cat called as he quickly rejoined the pair. “It is a cube, hovering in midair, as you have likely noticed. Nevertheless, you will be able to differentiate it from similar ones by the contrast of bad taste it imposes on your view of its clashing color, defying any sensible course of plastic arts.” Plastic… art? What type of world is this? If he would only be able to tell them apart by color, they were going to have some problems. Sure, the shade the red cube was in his vison was a lot darker than the surrounding area, but if they were in an environment with a darker color… He supposed he could always ask Batter to clarify the colors if it became necessary.

The Judge seemed to notice Cyclops’ skeptical view of the box, “However do not judge it too quickly, because despite its criticizable appearance, this red cube is of undeniable use.” The cat said, starting to circle around the block. Aside from rendering you the entirety of your health and competence points, it is capable of saving your progress and sending you to the nothingness.”

“Saving? How does that work?” Cyclops asked quickly before the Judge could continue. He was surprised when the Batter spoke up. “Should I die, time will reset back to the last time we visited one of these blocks. I’d rather not have to utilize that function.” Cyclops nodded in understanding, but his mind was reeling. How were these cubes able to affect time? Could everyone use them, or did it only function because of their ‘sacred mission’? He was hesitant to ask those questions with the Judge present, though the cat reminded him of Hank, he also had the tendency to ramble. At this point, Cyclops wanted to start with whatever this mission was supposed to be.

He realized he should probably figure out where the block would send them to, and hesitantly asked the Judge to explain. The cat nodded, “The nothingness is a lieu of transition outside of space itself, where you can travel from one point to another at the speed of light.” So a teleporter, that was easy enough for Cyclops to understand. The name had him intrigued though, and he vaguely wondered if that’s where he had first met the Batter. It made sense, as they had been transported to zone zero soon after their assignment.

The Judge sat and tilted his head, giving a friendly grin as he continued. “I now invite you to try it out, in order to discover locations more populous than this deserted land.” The cat’s voice raised suddenly in exclamation, “Open your wings, my dear companion, and hurry away towards the following zones without hesitation! Your only enemy is the fear that will grab you.”

“Okay.” The Batter stated. Cyclops once again considered inviting the cat along, glancing at the Judge as he considered the option.

The cat, seemingly sensing his concern, eased his mind. “Do not worry, I too travel a lot through the different zones of the world. We will newly meet one another eventually without a doubt.” Cyclops relaxed a little, relived that the cat wasn’t stuck in one zone by himself. The Judge’s eyes lit up as he recalled some vital information “Ah! By the by, take this. This object of a curious name will be the key that permits you to enter zone 1.” Cyclops wasn’t exactly sure _where_ the Judge had pulled the card from, but honestly that was the least of his questions. “Have I clarified that you can at any time consult your inventory and characteristics by exploiting your connection with the Batter?” Cyclops turned to the Batter, whose face was blank as always. Closing his eyes for a moment he reached for the connection he seemed to share with the, whatever the Batter was. He was surprised when he felt the connection expand and, he just knew what he and the Batter had collected so far. If he chose to focus on a particular object, like the luck ticket still in their inventory, he was able to learn if the item had any effects. Meat restoring cp made sense, as food and rest were how everybody recovered their energy.

Opening his eyes, he walked towards the floating block and touched it, Batter doing the same. For a moment it felt like the world stood still, Cyclops briefly wondered if this was the box ‘saving’ their progress, then they were quickly transported into the nothingness.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome! I'm not too experienced in writing fic, so any suggestions or spelling corrections are a-okay with me!


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